Jonathan Stroud

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Jonathan Anthony Stroud grew up in St Albans, England, where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories. Between the ages seven and nine he was often ill, so he spent most of his days in the hospital or in his bed at home. To escape boredom he would occupy himself with books and stories. After he completed his studies of English literature at the University of York, he worked in London as an editor for Walker Books. He worked with different types of books there and this soon led to the writing of his own books. During the 1990s, he started publishing his own works and quickly gained success.

In May 1999, Stroud published his first children's novel, Buried Fire, which was the first of a line of fantasy/mythology children's books. Among his most prominent works are the bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy. A special feature of these novels compared to others of their genre is that Stroud examines the stereotypes and ethics of the magician class and the enslaved demons.

Stroud lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with his two children, Isabelle and Arthur, and his wife Gina, an illustrator of children's books.



Author's Comment: Ideas come from everywhere and can hit you at any time. I once got a very good one in the bath. The idea of Bartimaeus came while walking gloomily home in the rain. Ideas can be big or small – crashing insights or half-baked intuitions. I think they come from almost anything: people you meet, places you go, things you read, conversations overheard, dreams, newspapers, today's television, childhood memories. The thing to do is write them down when you get them, or they'll quickly drift away.

Nationality: British